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The lead attorney for the Los Angeles Unified School District will be stepping down to assume a judgeship in Orange County.

Thomas Delaney was appointed this week to the Orange County Superior Court. Governor Jerry Brown appointed him judge Wednesday.

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Attorneys for victims of the Miramonte sex scandal are calling for a federal investigation amid revelations that the LAUSD destroyed documents detailing at least 2,000 cases of sexual abuse in Los Angeles public schools. John Cádiz Klemack reports from downtown Los Angeles for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 2, 2014. (Published Friday, May 2, 2014)

This comes more than a month after the judge in the Miramonte sex abuse civil cases levied sanctions against Delaney’s law firm and LAUSD for failing to reveal certain evidence in the child abuse cases.

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A prominent civil rights attorney alleged on Tuesday that the school district cancelled a probe that would have investigated treatment of sex abuse cases in the wake of the Miramonte scandal. John Cádiz Klemack reports from downtown Los Angeles for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6, 2014. (Published Tuesday, May 6, 2014)

As NBC4 has reported, Delaney had been charging the district nearly $500 an hour for his services.

In more than two years since the case started, the charges for representation are believed to be in the $5 million range.

Delaney also led the settlements of cases against teacher Martin Springer, of which a source at LAUSD tells NBC4 the district had no prior knowledge of allegations and was therefore not liable for those cases.

The civil case is set to go to trial on Sept. 16 without Delaney.

Allegations were also made against Springer. The criminal case against him was dropped.

"Generally, our office does not comment on the internal deliberation process of selecting judicial candidates," said Evan Westrup, from Brown's office, in a statement.

Sean Rossall, a spokesman for the Sedgwick law firm, which is representing LAUSD, released the following statement:

"The sanctions order is being reviewed by the appellate court. That order was against the school district and Sedgwick LLP, not Mr. Delaney. While Mr. Delaney’s appointment is a loss to our legal team, and a gain for the Orange County Superior Court, the school district has every confidence in the team it has in place going forward. As far as settlements, the school district stands behind its efforts and its decisions to resolve all of the claims arising out of miramonte elementary school."